God’s guidance led me

My GPS was definitely not working. I had been driving for hours trying to find a particular conference center in a remote area far from home, but I was only getting farther into “nowhere.” It was also getting late, and it had already been a long day.

I turned earnestly to God, seeking a solution. Mary Baker Eddy’s book “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” the textbook of Christian Science, explains that God is Mind, and that each of us is in reality a spiritual idea of this Mind. This means we can never be cut off from divine intelligence and needed guidance.

As I prayed, I felt inspired to pause my quest and to head in a different direction. When I passed a restaurant that was still open even though it was so late, I stopped. As I walked to the front of the restaurant, three people said joyfully, “There you are, Rosalie!”

They were also attending the meeting the next day, and they knew how to get to the place I’d spent hours searching for.

In a short time, I was happily ensconced in my room at the conference center, rejoicing in the fact that my prayers had led me to such reliable guides to help me navigate the now very dark roads. My frustration at not having been able to find my way earlier was erased, and the weariness I’d been feeling was lifted. I was so grateful for God’s answer to my prayer.

Reliance on divine Mind has helped me find my way in all aspects of my life, including facing health and work difficulties. As the Bible declares, “The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17).

I love that concept of God’s joy in and love for each of us, His spiritual offspring. No one, no matter what their religion, age, or background, is left out of this joy.

The Bible makes this clear through accounts of how Christ Jesus and his earliest followers were willing to help and heal a variety of people, including some who were not well thought of. They consistently relied on God for direction.

In one case, a disciple named Philip felt very specific guidance from God that led him to a transformational encounter with a prominent Ethiopian. An angel, a spiritual intuition from divine Mind, impelled him to go to a particular desert road. Once there he saw the man sitting in a chariot, reading, and he felt divinely prompted to go alongside.

The man was yearning for guidance to understand words prophesying the advent of Jesus that had been spoken by the prophet Isaiah, which Philip was able to explain to him. The man’s heart was touched, and at his request Philip baptized him. As they emerged from the water, “the Spirit of the Lord caught up Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing” (Acts 8:39, Revised Standard Version).

In comparison to this example of God’s guidance, resolving my navigation problem was small. But the beauty of God’s love is that it is there for all of us, no matter what is needed.

In fact, Mrs. Eddy writes in Science and Health: “Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need. It is not well to imagine that Jesus demonstrated the divine power to heal only for a select number or for a limited period of time, since to all mankind and in every hour, divine Love supplies all good” (p. 494).

This is true for each of us, no matter who or where we are, or how minor or significant our need. We can make the mental shift from ruminating on a problem to identifying ourselves as the spiritual ideas of divine Mind, Love, whose divine intelligence is expressed in us. Instead of relying on a material view of things – going in circles, as I was that night – we can turn to Love’s infinite view. This lifts pressure, confusion, and so on. Divine Love is all light, all intelligence. Love’s intuitions, or angel thoughts, guide us to the right steps.

Divine Love doesn’t know about street signs, stoplights, or chariots. But this divine Mind provides us with intelligence and insight, as well as confidence and peace, each day. Under Love’s care, we gain guidance and joy. And this brings practical help and solutions during trials.